High schools students enjoy making documentaries<\/p>\n
Joko E.H. Anwar, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Among many filmmakers who attended the screening of their work
\nduring this year's Jakarta International Film Festival (JIFFest),
\n18 high school students may have been the most excited.<\/p>\n
There was no signs of nervousness on their faces while waiting
\nfor their documentaries to be screened at one of the festival's
\nvenues, Goethe Institute, Central Jakarta, last Sunday.<\/p>\n
Many members of their families and close friends were present
\nto see the outcome of the students' two-week trip to Kepulauan
\nSeribu (the Thousands Islands), 45 kilometers north of Jakarta,
\nlast June.<\/p>\n
The students were selected from 28 participants who wished to
\nenter the program, In-Docs Junior Camp, organized by the
\nIndonesian Independent Film Society Foundation (YMMFI), the
\norganization responsible for the prestigious JIFFest.<\/p>\n
Each of the students had to submit a 1,000-word essay on a
\ncurrent social issue. The best 18 were selected to participate in
\nthe program for free.<\/p>\n
The students described their experiences at Coconut Island,
\none of many islands in the Thousands Islands at which they
\nstayed, as marvelous and eye-opening.<\/p>\n
\"It was so great to mingle with the locals as you really got
\nto know how they live,\" 15-year-old Mega Pratiwi, a student at
\nSMUN 16 state high school, North Jakarta, told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
To observe closely the difficulties of the lives of the
\nislanders, indeed, seemed interesting for these students, who are
\nmore familiar with a cushier lifestyle in the metropolis.<\/p>\n
It was also their assignment to capture the tough way of life,
\nvastly different from theirs, on video and present it in the form
\nof a documentary.<\/p>\n
Guided by several mentors, including experienced documentary
\nfilmmaker German H. Mintapradja, these students, in their
\ncapacity as novices, successfully completed the assignment.<\/p>\n
Armed with palm-sized mini DV cameras, they roamed the island
\nand came up with some interesting subjects.<\/p>\n
Mega, who teamed up with two other students, Ratrikala Bhre
\nfrom SMUN 82 state high school and Irwan Aulia from SMUN Tunas
\nHarapan state high school, made a documentary titled, The Only
\nFree Thing Here is Rainfall.<\/p>\n
The documentary explored the locals' difficulties in
\ncollecting freshwater for their daily activities.<\/p>\n
While the men cast nets for fish in the sea, the women have to
\npush carts carrying gallons of fresh water they buy from a fresh
\nwater source at Rp 1,000 (11 U.S. cents) per medium-sized
\ncontainer.<\/p>\n
As they do not have enough money to buy freshwater for all
\ntheir needs, including washing clothes and bathing, the locals
\noften use salt water.<\/p>\n
When rain falls, they use anything they can find, including
\nroofs, to collect the freshwater.<\/p>\n
One of six documentaries produced during the program was
\ntitled, The Secret Behind the Delicious Flavor, made by Kamila
\nAndinisari from SMU Tarakanita 1 and Rizky Akbar from SMUN 21.<\/p>\n
The documentary neatly captured the daily routine of an
\nelderly, overweight woman who produced a unique snack made of
\nfish and flour, which is quite popular on the island.<\/p>\n
It revealed that one of the ingredients of the snack that made
\nit so yummy was the sweat that fell from the makers' bodies onto
\nthe mix!<\/p>\n
Another amusing documentary was Digging Love in the Sand,
\nwhich captured the life of a man with two wives who made a living
\nfrom selling sand he dug from the beach.<\/p>\n
The documentary was made by Ryan Agung from SMU Lab School,
\nMartina from SMUN 31 and Ilma K. Indriasri from SMUN 3, Bandung,
\nWest Java.<\/p>\n
The program has made these young filmmakers become really
\ninterested in documentaries.<\/p>\n
\"It's so different from making a feature movie. Here we don't
\ncreate the story but look for it,\" 17-year-old Heryani said. \"And
\nthat is much more exciting.\"<\/p>\n
The students also plan to work on a larger project using all
\n18 of them involved in the program.<\/p>\n
Despite technical shortcomings, these documentaries
\nsuccessfully portrayed to the audience the problems faced by
\ntheir subjects.<\/p>\n
This also seems to be the target of YMMFI, chaired by film
\nproducer Shanty Harmayn, who has shown interest in documentaries
\nfor years.<\/p>\n
Besides organizing the In-Docs Junior Camp, the foundation has
\norganized several events to encourage documentary filmmaking in
\nthe country.<\/p>\n
The foundation is currently assisting five filmmakers to
\ndevelop documentary projects with the help of foreign and
\nexperienced documentary filmmakers.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/high-schools-students-enjoy-making-documentaries-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}